OF CHRISTIAN PARENTS, THE YOUNGEST
OF FOUR BOYS. WE LIVED ON A LARGE
FARM/RANCH TEN MILES SOUTH OF
HUTCHINSON, KANSAS. WE ATTENDED
THE FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH OF PRETTY
PRAIRIE, ELEVEN MILES FROM HOME.
SINCE WE WORKED LONG HOURS ON THE
RANCH, WE ONLY ATTENDED CHURCH ON
SUNDAYS.
I STARTED DRIVING THE TRACTOR AT AGE
SIX AND SPENT MANY, MANY HOURS ON IT
BEFORE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
EVEN WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE, I SPENT
MANY WEEK-ENDS WORKING ON THE FARM.
I ENJOYED FARMING VERY MUCH. RUNNING
THE SELF PROPELLED COMBINE WAS A JOY
(AS WELL AS WORK OF COURSE) DURING
WHEAT HARVEST.
DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR IN HIGH
SCHOOL I ENROLLED IN THE CATECHISM CLASS
AT OUR CHURCH. THE COURSE RAN FOR TWO
YEARS. TWO WEEKS BEFORE GRADUATION WE
WERE FOREWARNED THAT WE WOULD BE
BAPTIZED AND ASKED TO GIVE OUR TESTIMONY
BEFORE THE CONGREGATION. WE WOULD THEN
BECOME MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.
ONE BOY, WHO WAS CLINICALLY BLIND,
SAID HE "WASN'T GOING TO BE BAPTIZED."
THE PASTOR ASKED WHY. HIS REPLY WAS
THAT HE "WASN'T A CHRISTIAN." THAT
REALLY SHOCKED ME. I JUST ASSUMED THAT
WE WERE ALL CHRISTIANS. AFTER ALL WE
WERE ATTENDING CHURCH AND ALSO THE
CLASS. I KNEW THAT I LOVED JESUS AND
WANTED TO SERVE HIM. HOWEVER, THE HOLY
SPIRIT USED THE BOY'S STATEMENT TO WORK
ME OVER (CONVICT ME) AND THE FOLLOWING
SATURDAY AFTER PUTTING MY HORSE AWAY I
KNELT RIGHT THERE IN THE HORSE BARN AND
ASKED GOD TO FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS AND
INVITED JESUS CHRIST TO COME INTO MY
HEART BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A CHRIST-
IAN MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD.
WELL, HE DID COME IN AND BECOME MY
SAVIOR.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS STILL WORKING
WITH ME, I GUESS, BECAUSE I TOLD GOD
"I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BECOME A
MINISTER BECAUSE I WASN'T GOOD AT
ENGLISH AND I HATED HISTORY." OF
COURSE, I ASSUMED THESE WERE REQUIRE-
MENTS AND THAT GOD WAS UNABLE TO HELP
ME. I TOLD GOD THAT INSTEAD I WOULD
BECOME A TEACHER AND HELP IN THAT WAY.
I FULFILLED MY VOW. I ATTENDED
OUR MENNONITE COLLEGE, BETHEL COLLEGE,
IN NORTH NEWTON, KANSAS. I GRADUATED
WITH A MAJOR IN MATHEMATICS AND MINOR
IN EDUCATION, WITH A CERTIFICATE TO
TEACH IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. MY
MATH PROFESSOR TALKED ME INTO GOING
ON TO GRADUATE SCHOOL SO I ATTENDED
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY. AFTER RECEIV-
ING MY MASTER'S DEGREE I TAUGHT ONE
YEAR AT KEOKUK SR. H.S. AND COMMUNITY
COLLEGE, KEOKUK, IOWA. I MOVED BACK
TO KANSAS AND TAUGHT FOUR YEARS AT
WICHITA UNIVERSITY. THEN I HEARD OF
AN OPENING IN A CHURCH-RELATED COLLEGE,
THE DESIRE OF MY HEART. I BECAME THE
MATHEMATICS CHAIRMAN AT MCPHERSON
COLLEGE WHERE I TAUGHT FOR THIRTEEN
YEARS. I TOOK A TWO YEAR LEAVE WHILE
TEACHING THERE TO RECEIVE A DOCTORATE
AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. DURING
MY 13TH YEAR AT MCPHERSON COLLEGE I
FELT AS THOUGH GOD WAS SPEAKING TO ME,
"ANYONE CAN TEACH MATHEMATICS, BUT WE
NEED MORE PEOPLE TO BE PREACHING THE
WORD OF GOD." I WAS INTERESTED IN
TEACHING ABROAD AND THOUGHT THIS WOULD
BE THE TIME TO DO IT. I INQUIRED
THROUGH THE CHURCH WHERE I MIGHT TEACH
AND ALSO BE IN MINISTRY. THIS LED MY
WIFE AND I TO THE COLUMBUS SCHOOL IN
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA.
I TAUGHT ANALYSIS IN 11TH GRADE AND
CALCULUS IN THE 12TH GRADE FOR THREE
YEARS AND ALSO WORKED WITH MISSIONARIES.
WE ALSO ENCOURAGED AND HELPED THE LOCAL
MENNONITE CHURCH WITH THE "I FOUND IT"
CAMPAIGN. MY WIFE AND I WERE DIRECTORS
OF THE MCPHERSON COUNTY CAMPAIGN WHILE
STILL IN THE STATES. JUST BEFORE GOING
TO SOUTH AMERICA, WE STARTED ATTENDING
A SPIRIT-FILLED HOME BIBLE STUDY. MANY
WERE MEMBERS OF FULL GOSPEL BUSINESS
MEN'S FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL (FGBMFI).
WE ATTENDED SEVERAL OF THEIR DINNER
MEETINGS. WE WENT TO ONE WITH SPECIAL
SPEAKERS, THE HAPPY HUNTERS, WHERE WE
RECEIVED THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
THIS WAS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE SINCE
RECEIVING JESUS AS SAVIOR. IT WAS
NEEDED TO REMOVE ALL THE "PHARISAIC"
ATTIITUDE I HAD AND TO ENDOW ME WITH
THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND FILL MY
HEART WITH THE JOY AND LOVE OF THE LORD.
LATER, WE ATTENDED A FGBMFI WEEK-END
RETREAT WHERE REV. GERALD DERSTINE WAS
THE SPEAKER. HE MENTIONED SOMETHING
ABOUT AN INSTITUTE OF MINISTRY SCHOOL
AT THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN BRADENTON,
FLORIDA. EVEN WHILE WE WERE STILL IN
SOUTH AMERICA WE APPLIED FOR THE SCHOOL.
AFTER RETURNING TO THE STATES, WE
ATTENDED THE SPRING SCHOOL. THEY ALSO
STARTED A PASTORAL TRAINING SCHOOL AND
I WAS ONE OF THEIR FIRST GRADUATES.
MY FIRST MINISTRY POSITION WAS WITH
THE WORSHIP CENTER CHURCH OF BRADEN-
TON, FLORIDA AS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.
I HELPED START A BIBLE COLLEGE AND DAY
SCHOOL, K-12. AFTER TWO YEARS, GOD
LED US BACK TO CHRISTIAN RETREAT TO
TEACH IN THE I.O.M. FOR A SHORT TIME.
WE HAVE CONTINUED TO REMAIN IN FLORIDA
WHERE WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS
MINISTRIES, INCLUDING HOME BIBLE
STUDIES, NURSING HOME MINISTRY, PRISION
MINISTRY, PROMISE KEEPERS AND THE FULL
GOSPEL BUSINESS MEN'S FELLOWSHIP.
IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED MY RESUME
LINK YOU MAY DO SO NOW BY CLICKING HERE.